Once is luck. Twice is skill. Three times? That’s … a dynasty.
Yes, MLB Opening Day 2026 is here and a Detroiter is going for a three-peat. No, we’re not talking about Tarik Skubal – though he is going for his third American League Cy Young Award this season. And we’re not talking about any of the Los Angeles Dodgers – though, yeah, they’ve won two straight World Series.
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No, we’re talking about ourselves, who’ve picked the World Series champs two – TWO – years in a row. (And one of us is 2-for-2 in picking the AL Cy Young, too. …) OK, OK, picking the Dodgers to win every year isn’t particularly tough, even with all the changes that come to baseball every offseason.
Detroit Tigers pitcher Tarik Skubal (29) throws during the first inning against the Minnesota Twins at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida, on Monday, Feb. 23, 2026.
6 BURNING QUESTIONS: Predicting the Detroit Tigers’ future
Take this year, for example: The Automated Ball-Strike System is in. Labor peace is probably out. (But will that be before or after Skubal signs for $400 million?) Alex Bregman is a Tiger Red Sock Cub, Freddy Peralta is a Met, Pete Alonso is an Oriole, Marcus Semien is a Met, Ranger Suárez is a Red Sox, Jorge Polanco is a Met (good news for Skubal!), Eugenio Suárez is a Red, Luis Robert Jr. is a Met, Edwin Díaz is a Dodger, Bo Bichette is a Met (at least it rhymes), Kyle Tucker is a Dodger, Devin Williams is a Met (are we sensing a theme?) and Framber Valdez, Kenley Jansen and, of course, Justin Verlander are all Tigers.
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Got all that?
Of course, Verlander was a Tiger before, too, which means everything comes around again, if you wait long enough. (No, Rockies, you have not waited long enough.) The Tigers, of course, have been waiting more than a decade to win the AL Central. Will they do it?
READY TO WIN: Experienced Tigers eye World Series championship in 2026
Read on as this pair of Free Press seamheads (and sports writers), Ryan Ford and Evan Petzold, make their picks for how the 2026 MLB season will play out (though we’ll note, only one of us can be right about the champs this fall – we picked different teams to win it all).
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The regular seasonAL Central
Ryan Ford:
Evan Petzold:
AL East
Ford:
Petzold:
AL West
Ford:
Petzold:
NL Central
Ford:
Petzold:
NL East
Ford:
Petzold:
NL West
Ford:
Petzold:
The playoffs
Ford:
ALWC: 3. Mariners over 6. Royals; 4. Yankees over 5. Astros.
ALDS: 1. Blue Jays over 4. Yankees; 2. Tigers over 3. Mariners.
ALCS: 1. Blue Jays over 2. Tigers.
NLWC: 3. Brewers over 6. Phillies; 5. Padres over 4. Cubs.
NLDS: 1. Dodgers over 5. Padres; 2. Mets over 3. Brewers.
NLCS: 2. Mets over 1. Dodgers
World Series: 1. Blue Jays over 2. Mets
Petzold:
ALWC: 3. Mariners over 6. Orioles; 5. Royals over 4. Blue Jays.
ALDS: 1. Red Sox over 5. Royals; 2. Tigers over 3. Mariners.
ALCS: 1. Red Sox over 2. Tigers.
NLWC: 6. Mets over 3. Cubs; 4. Padres over 5. Brewers.
NLDS: 1. Dodgers over 4. Padres; 2. Phillies over 6. Mets.
NLCS: 1. Dodgers over 2. Phillies
World Series: 1. Dodgers over 1. Red Sox
The awards
Ford:
AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Blue Jays.
AL Cy Young: Tarik Skubal, Tigers.
AL Rookie of the Year: Samuel Basallo, Orioles.
AL Manager of the Year: Skip Schumaker, Rangers.
NL MVP: Alex Bregman, Cubs.
NL Cy Young: Paul Skenes, Pirates.
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean, Mets.
NL Manager of the Year: Craig Stammen, Padres.
Petzold:
AL MVP: Bobby Witt Jr., Royals.
AL Cy Young: Cole Ragans, Royals.
AL Rookie of the Year: Tatsuya Imai, Astros.
AL Manager of the Year: Craig Albernaz, Orioles.
NL MVP: Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers.
NL Cy Young: Christopher Sánchez, Phillies.
NL Rookie of the Year: Nolan McLean, Mets.
NL Manager of the Year: Craig Counsell, Cubs.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2026 MLB picks: Tarik Skubal a shoo-in for third AL Cy Young?